5*1 


(A,  L.  0.  E.) 

Authoress-Missionary. 


PRICE  FIVE  CENTS. 


WOMAN’S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 

36  Brovpield  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


Sl^ecrloile  jj Ymiet  ^pucl^eF. 
(A.  L.  0.  E.) 


By  MRS.  J.  T.  GRACEY. 


“PRINCESS  in  Israel”  was  Charlotte  Maria 


•Cl  Tucker,  who  died  in  the  city  of  Amritsir, 
Northern  India,  Dec.  2,  1893.  There  are 
souls  developed  by  watching  and  waiting,  or  abid¬ 
ing  God’s  time.  Thus  did  Miss  Tucker,  and  demon¬ 
strated  what  great  things  God  will  do  for  a  woman, 
and  with  a  woman,  who  is  wholly  given  up  to  his 
service. 

She  was  born  in  England  in  the  year  1821,  and 
came  of  the  best  English  blood.  Her  father  was 
Mr.  Henry  St.  George  Tucker,  who  for  a  period  of 
more  than  fifty  years  filled  important  positions 
under  the  English  government,  and  was  at  one 
time  a  director  of  the  East  India  Company.  Her 
early  life  was  spent  in  the  quiet  and  retirement  of 
her  home,  which  was  one  of  elegance  and  refine¬ 
ment,  surrounded  by  all  that  wealth  and  social 
position  could  give.  From  childhood  she  breathed 
a  religious  and  missionary  atmosphere. 

Her  spirit  was  vivacious,  buoyant,  sympathetic ; 
her  features  fine,  her  face  attractive  in  its  winning 
smile,  her  intellect  brilliant.  As  years  advanced, 
she  developed  a  life  of  ceaseless  Christian  activity. 
To  study  such  a  life,  to  catch  some  of  its  music, 


4 


to  understand  its  heart-throbs,  and  to  comprehend 
its  record  of  love,  patience,  and  hope,  is  to  get  an 
inspiration. 

Miss  Tucker’s  life  covered  three  distinct  periods, 
her  home  life,  her  literary  life,  and  her  missionary 
life,  while  her  spiritual  life  enveloped  the  whole. 
She  early  developed  literary  powers,  and  speedily 
won  distinction  as  a  writer  for  young  people. 
Her  books  are  found  in  Sunday-school  libra¬ 
ries  and  on  drawing-room  tables,  not  only  in  Eng¬ 
land,  but  over  the  whole  English-speaking  world,  and 
so  helpful  were  her  stories,  so  charming  her  style, 
that  the  nom  de  plume  of  A.  L.  O.  E.,  or  a  Lady  of 
England,  became  as  familiar  in  the  households  of 
this  country  as  in  her  native  land.  It  seems  mar¬ 
vellous  that  she  could  write  so  much  and  write  it  all 
so  well.  I  have  before  me  a  list  of  one  hundred 
books,  with  quaint  and  suggestive  titles,  all  issued 
by  one  firm  in  London.  She  wrote  because  she 
loved  to  write,  and  had  an  intense  desire  to  do 
good,  while  sweet  and  holy  lessons  filled  every  page. 
In  addition  to  her  books,  Miss  Tucker  edited  The 
Christian  Juvenile  Instructor  for  many  years,  and 
contributed  to  many  magazines.  She  delighted 
in  metaphor  and  parable,  and  her  writings  in  these 
particular  characteristics  are  unique,  while  her  alle¬ 
gories  are  perhaps  unequalled. 

In  the  year  1857  she  met  with  a  great  sorrow 
in  the  death  of  a  beloved  brother,  Robert  Tudor 
Tucker,  who  was  murdered  in  the  dreadful  Indian 
mutiny  that  brought  sorrow  and  desolation  to  so 


5 


many  English  homes.  She  took  to  her  home  and 
heart  the  children  of  this  brother.  Then  came  the 
death  of  her  beloved  mother,  the  breaking  up  of 
the  dear  old  home,  so  full  of  blessed  associations, 
the  lingering  illness  of  a  sister,  and  a  combination 
of  trials  which  put  to  test  her  Christian  confidence. 

Notwithstanding  the  pressure  thus  put  upon  her, 
she  continued  to  write  for  the  press  with  unabated 
vigor,  and  every  year  several  new  volumes  were 
added  to  the  list  of  publications.  But  she  never 
was  too  much  engrossed  with  her  own  duties  to 
attend  to  others  who  needed  help,  and  was  ever 
ready  to  lay  down  her  pen,  and  turn  her  thoughts 
from  her  manuscript  to  amuse  or  profit  others,  and 
give  loving  counsel  and  sympathy. 

Miss  Tucker  from  a  child  had  been  interested  in 
missionary  work  in  India,  possibly  because  of  her 
official  relations  to  the  government  of  several  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  family,  and  had  longed  for  the  opportu¬ 
nity  to  engage  in  it  herself,  but  she  accepted  with 
true  loyalty  the  duties  pressed  upon  her  at  home, 
waiting  patiently  until  1875,  when  she  was  fifty- 
four  years  old,  an  age  when  most  persons  are  think¬ 
ing  of  retiring  from  work  altogether,  when  she  was 
permitted  to  carry  out  the  cherished  plans  of  a  life¬ 
time,  and  become  a  missionary  to  the  heathen. 

She  went  out  as  an  honorary  missionary  of  the 
Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary  Society  at 
her  own  expense,  and  gave  her  fortune  to  carry  on 
the  work ;  and  so  bravely  and  persistently  did  she 
fill  out  the  days  and  years,  that  she  never  had  time 


6 


to  return  home,  for  during  the  eighteen  years  no 
inducements  of  relatives  or  friends  sufficed  to  take 
her  back  to  England  even  for  a  short  visit.  She 
had  a  realizing  sense  that  her  time  was  short  and 
she  must  crowd  into  it  all  that  was  possible.  When 
England  gave  Miss  Tucker  to  India  it  gave  the  very 
best  it  had.  Her  field  of  labor  at  first  was  Amrit- 
sir,  in  the  Punjab,  where  she  lived  for  nearly  two 
years,  when  a  new  station  was  opened  at  Batala, 
twenty-four  miles  distant,  where  she  settled  down 
and  remained  during  the  rest  of  her  life.  When 
she  first  arrived,  one  who  welcomed  her  wrote  : 
“  She  came  to  us  early  one  bright  morning,  and  in¬ 
stantly  our  hearts  went  out  to  her.  Her  soft  gray 
hair  drawn  smoothly  away  from  a  fine  brow,  her 
clear  eyes  so  full  of  intelligence,  and  the  frank 
sweet  smile  playing  over  her  features  made  hers  a 
very  attractive  face.  How  thoughtful  she  was  for 
the  comfort  of  others  ;  how  keenly  she  appreciated 
what  was  beautiful  and  good  around  her.  On  the 
day  after  her  arrival  she  took  her  place  among  the 
native  Christians  in  the  Mission  Chapel.”  Thus 
commenced  her  missionary  life  of  ceaseless  activity 
and  usefulness.  Even  before  going  to  India  she 
studied  the  language  of  the  Punjab.  It  was  no 
easy  task  for  a  fragile,  delicately  nurtured  woman 
at  her  age  to  learn  and  become  familiar  with  a 
foreign  tongue,  but  this  effort  was  small  in  compari¬ 
son  to  that  of  going  into  the  homes  amongst  big¬ 
oted  and  ignorant  women,  which  took  her  not  only 
into  the  zenanas  of  Batala,  but  to  the  women  of 


7 


the  surrounding  towns  and  villages.  She  was  iden¬ 
tified  with  the  High  School  for  boys  at  Batala,  but 
pre-eminently  her  gifts  of  mind,  her  strength,  her 
means,  and  her  love  were  consecrated  to  the  ser¬ 
vice  of  India’s  women. 

She  had  marvellous  tact  in  winning  her  way,  and 
was  fruitful  in  expedients  in  getting  the  attention  of 
the  women  to  her  story.  She  would  seat  herself  on 
the  floor  with  true  oriental  ease  and  grace,  gather 
the  occupants  around  her,  who  were  curious  for  any 
variety  in  their  monotonous  lives.  But  the  wel¬ 
come  extended  her  was  not  always  of  the  warmest 
character.  Often  her  heart  was  saddened  by  the 
stupidity  and  indifference  of  those  whom  she  longed 
to  help,  and  she  was  in  heaviness  often  through 
manifold  disappointments.  While  pursuing  her 
Christ-like  work,  this  devoted  Christian  woman  was 
frequently  turned  away  from  the  houses  by  insolent 
men,  spit  upon,  threatened  with  broken  crockery, 
and  received  much  discourteous  treatment.  “  It  was 
a  pathetic  sight,”  says  one,  “  to  see  this  cultured 
woman,  no  longer  young,  standing  in  some  lane  or 
street,  singing  some  Christian  song  in  sweetest 
tones,  that  some  word  might  be  heard,  or  some 
echo  awakened  in  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  she 
was  refused  admittance.  It  was  her  custom,  after 
returning  from  her  morning  visits  among  the 
women,  to  make  a  record  in  her  diary  (a  large  book 
of  foolscap)  of  her  success  or  her  discouragements. 
Upon  one  occasion  she  wrote:  “Thrice  this  week, 
I,  an  aged  servant  of  Christ,  have  been  turned 


8 


away  from  zenanas  to  which  I  went  in  all  gentle¬ 
ness  and  kindness.”  But  her  courage  never  failed, 
for,  meeting  a  rebuff  at  one  house,  she  would  go  to 
another,  where  possibly  she  would  find  an  entrance. 
She  spoke  of  her  work  as  an  ice-bound  vessel  labor¬ 
ing  to  cut  a  passage  through  hard  cold  ice,  with  the 
chilly  bergs  of  Mohammedanism  and  Hinduism 
towering  on  either  side,  but  she  added,  “  The  crew 
are  by  no  means  downhearted.  We  have  cheering 
signs  of  the  warm  breath  of  heaven,  and  the  ice  is 
melting  in  some  of  the  zenanas.” 

Notwithstanding  her  abundant  missionary  labors, 
she  found  time  to  write.  On  winter  mornings  it 
was  her  habit  to  rise  long  before  light,  make  her 
cup  of  cocoa,  and  devote  that  time  to  her  literary 
work  and  personal  correspondence.  She  sent  home 
each  year  a  new  volume  to  add  to  her  list  of  stories. 
But  the  greatest  and  crowning  work  of  her  life  was 
to  prepare  a  popular  Christian  literature  for  the 
women  of  India.  She  was  probably  the  first  Chris¬ 
tian  writer  to  issue  religious  story  books  in  the 
languages  of  India.  With  wonderful  ease  she 
adopted  the  native  modes  of  thought  and  language. 
Her  books,  tracts,  and  leaflets,  of  which  she  wrote 
over  one  hundred  while  in  the  country,  were  trans¬ 
lated  and  circulated,  and  have  become  very  popular 
and  sought  after  by  native  women  and  by  young 
girls  in  mission  schools.  These  books  were  for 
native  Christians  and  for  those  not  Christians,  for 
she  made  a  study  of  the  native  character. 

At  the  special  request  of  the  Christian  Vernacu- 


9 


lar  Education  Society  for  India,  she  wrote  a  beauti¬ 
ful  volume  of  explanations  of  the  Parables  of  our 
Lord,  called  “  Pearls  of  Wisdom,”  which  for  variety 
of  subject  and  depth  of  thought  surpasses  all  her 
other  writings.  It  was  published  also  in  separate 
tracts,  to  enable  even  the  very  poorest  native  to 
purchase  them.  These  have  had  an  enormous  cir- 
cuation,  as  have  had  the  English  version  also. 

While  millions  of  pages  of  the  writings  of  this 
wonderfully  gifted  woman  have  been  issued,  the 
demand  for  them  has  only  begun.  India  is  without 
a  Christian  literature  for  women,  and  any  one  who 
in  an  attractive  form  breathes  forth  the  truth  on 
printed  page,  and  scatters  it  abroad  in  the  homes 
of  India,  is  doing  missionary  work  indeed.  The 
Christian  literature  of  this  woman  was  the  greatest 
legacy  she  could  leave  to  India’s  daughters,  and 
many  will  rise  up  and  “  call  her  blessed.” 

Of  her  work  Bishop  French  wrote  :  “  She  is  an 
example  of  an  apostolic  woman  —  one  who,  besides 
translations  of  her  own  works  in  the  vernacular, 
for  a  whole  year,  in  the  absence  of  the  missionary 
in  charge,  presided  over  a  Christian  native  board¬ 
ing-school  of  forty  boys,  and  with  incessant  visits 
and  hard  and  patient  instructions  ministered  to  the 
women  of  many  Indian  homes.” 

But  the  sunset  of  this  beautiful  life  came.  In 
October,  1893,  while  attending  the  opening  of  a 
church,  she  contracted  a  severe  cold,  from  which 
she  never  recovered.  Just  at  this  time  one  of 
her  associates  fell  ill,  and  not  feeling  well  her- 


10 


self,  Miss  Tucker  ministered  to  her,  read  aloud 
to  her,  watched  her  with  tender  solicitude, 
then  passed  from  the  warm  sick-room  out  into 
the  night  air  to  her  own  “sunset”  chamber. 
Worn  and  exhausted  she  too  fell  ill,  and  then 
was  conveyed  to  Amritsir,  where  she  was  lovingly 
nursed  and  cared  for  by  friends.  But  her  work 
was  done.  So  delighted  was  she  at  the  prospect  of 
“going  home,”  that  when  told  she  could  not  re¬ 
cover,  the  physician  said,  “  It  raised  her  spirits  and 
lowered  her  temperature.” 

“  I  long  to  go,”  and  “  Come  quickly  !  ”  were  the 
last  words  that  fell  from  her  lips.  Thus  she  passed 
away  as  she  wished,  among  the  people  she  loved  so 
well. 

They  carried  her  back  to  Batala,  and  laid  her  to 
rest  December  5.  The  little  village  cemetery  was 
nearly  two  miles  from  her  home,  and  thither  she 
was  carried.  She  had  made  the  request  to  be 
buried  in  native  style  without  coffin.  Wrapped  in  a 
sheet  and  laid  upon  a  charpay  (native  bed),  she 
was  borne  by  the  boys  from  the  High  School,  to 
whom  she  had  been  such  a  friend.  The  day  was 
beautiful,  the  road  had  been  watered,  and  a  great 
procession,  consisting  of  missionaries,  teachers, 
pupils,  a  large  number  of  prominent  natives,  and 
last  of  all  the  women  also,  followed  with  mournful 
step.  The  bier  was  literally  covered  with  flowers, 
the  offering  of  love.  Hymns  were  sung,  —  hymns 
of  her  own  composition,  —  in  which  the  wffiole  pro¬ 
cession  joined. 


11 


And  how  touching  the  scene  !  After  the  visitors 
had  left  the  cemetery  the  women  came  from  the 
city,  heathen  women,  women  she  had  visited  and 
helped,  women  who  would  miss  her  visits  and  kind 
words,  and  into  whose  life  some  joy  had  come 
through  Miss  Tucker’s  ministration  ;  these  came  to 
wail  and  weep  in  true  oriental  manner.  India 
women  never  lost  a  truer  friend,  and  in  all  India 
history  do  we  fail  to  find  such  a  record  as  this 
beautiful  woman  of  high  birth,  this  cultivated 
Christian  scholar,  this  celebrated  English  authoress, 
being  carried  to  her  last  resting  place  in  such 
Christian  triumph.  She  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people  of  Northern  India. 

A  movement  is  now  agitated  on  the  part  of  the 
Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary  Society  to 
perpetuate  her  memory  by  some  suitable  memorial  at 
the  scene  of  her  labors  in  India.  Miss  Tucker  was 
greatly  interested  in  a  new  dispensary  in  Batala  for 
women,  and  it  is  proposed  to  add  a  nursing  ward  to 
this  dispensary,  to  be  called  the  A.  L.  O.  E.  ward, 
and  to  provide  an  annual  endowment  for  the  beds, 
for  which  about  ten  thousand  dollars  will  be  appro¬ 
priated.  The  Christian  Literature  Society  for 
India  has  also  determined  to  raise  a  special  fund 
to  republish  her  eighty-seven  books  for  India 
readers,  and  to  translate  them  into  a  much 
larger  number  of  languages  of  India,  with  illustra¬ 
tions.  A.  L.  O.  E.  will  live  in  her  books,  and  her 
Christian  literature  is  her  best  memorial. 


NEW  REVISED 


OUTLINE  MAP. 

Size,  5x6  feet.  Printed  on  Cloth. 


The  prominent  stations  occupied 
by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  in  China,  Japan,  Korea, 
India,  and  Burma,  are  printed  in 
large  type.  Price,  $1.50  postpaid. 


Address  PAULINE  J.  WALDEN, 


36  Bromfield  St Boston,  Mass. 


